Scientists warn that a collision with asteroid Bennu, ranked third on NASA's Sentry list of potential impact threats, could trigger a 'impact winter' with global consequences including a 4C temperature drop, 15% rainfall decrease, and disruptions to food production and ecosystems.
Simulations of a massive asteroid, as wide as the Eiffel Tower is tall, suggest Earth could face catastrophic consequences, including a global winter and widespread drought, if such a collision were to occur next century. Scientists warn that the devastation would require extraordinary efforts for humanity to survive.
The odds of impact stand at 1 in 2,700, or 0.04 percent, but scientists stress that this is not zero. Such an impact could unleash a series of devastating climate shifts, researchers warn. Their modelling suggests ozone levels would plunge by 32 percent, global temperatures would drop by 4C, and rainfall would decrease by 15 percent.
"Asteroid impacts have taken place many times in Earth’s history. Our early human ancestors may have experienced some of these planet-shifting events before, with potential impacts on human evolution and even our own genetic makeup," said Lan Dai, the study’s co-corresponding author. "This study provides the basis to quantify the possible effects of abrupt events on early human evolution.
ASTEROID IMPACT CLIMATE CHANGE GLOBAL WINTER FOOD PRODUCTION PLANETARY DEFENSE
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